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Microsoft Kills Xbox One Phone-Home DRM
One of the biggest criticisms of Microsoft's recently-announced Xbox One console was that it would require an internet connection once every 24 hours in order to keep playing games. Enough people complained about the DRM, and Microsoft listened. Today, they announced that they're removing the phone-home requirement. "After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360." They've also scrapped the game trading and resale system they'd built, which allowed publishers to set their own rules with regard to used game sales. "There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360." Unfortunately, that also means users won't be able to take advantage of the good parts of the original system, such as trading and gifting games without needing the disc, or sharing games with remote family members. "While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds." Also noteworthy: they've dropped region-locks as well.
"Hey guys! I used to be for DRM; but when I saw that it would ruin my launch, I became totally against it! Don't worry, though, just because it would be trivial to alter the deal at any future time, either over the internet or through exciting and mandatory system updates baked into new disk releases, you can still trust me!"
I'm tired of being called "paranoid" for not wanting the NSA to log my phone calls and Microsoft to install a webcam in my living room. Speaking of the world we had before ...
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
It's hilarious people are running back to them so fast. There's nothing stopping them from putting DRM in a year from now. It's still 100$ more than PS4, still has worse hardware, it still has Kinect, even though you're the type of person who doesn't care about rights it still makes the system less powerful as a segment of it is reserved for this telescreen
Enjoy your Halo kiddo
The restrictions they put on the system were horrible their justifications for them were insulting.
Above and beyond this could only happen if they thought we were idiots and simply wouldn't understand. They need to appreciate the distinction between lack of interest/awareness and actually being stupid.
Most people are not stupid. They're oblivious. But not stupid. Explain the rules to people and they'll typically see what is going on pretty fast.
MS tried to pull a fast one and was caught in the act. They've done this repeatedly with other product launches. It needs to stop.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
The world where triple A titles will be on a system that RMS approves is the same world where communism works.
That is, not this one.
I don't think your reputation can be salvaged at this point
We've heard that before when Sony...
I could go on. And now of course people are talking about how great Sony is.
The point is, yes, their rep can be salvaged, because people really dont care that much for very long.
Yeah exactly. How could they not see this coming?? Another scenario of people creating a product that they don't use..
Easy. Cynical ploy to get us to all think about the not-so-much-suck parts now and think Microsoft's not so bad. They were never going to go through with those crazy ideas in the first place. Now we're all going to be talking about them again and putting them right in the public consciousness again. Thanks for falling right into their marketing trap.
This has been a free lesson in psychology that the internet wishes it could ignore: Hatred is so easy to exploit and control. How's it feel to be a tool? Does it make you want to RAAAAAAGE all over the internet? Good, good, you'll be useful to them later. They'll find you when they need you.
It's not impossible that this is the case, but I can't help thinking it might have been better for them to pull back the sheet at E3 instead of doing Sony's job for them.
That said, fuck 'em. Still ain't buying any of them.
There's nothing stopping them from putting DRM in a year from now
To be fair, there's also nothing stopping Sony from changing anything and everything about their PS4 software at any point. And Sony does have a track record to create suspicion that they might.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Hmm... interesting, but no, it almost certainly didn't happen that way.
For one thing, the retraction will never make as much news as the initial announcement. For another, there is enormous risk that, whatever they say, people will suspect that these schemes still exist (even if they are, for the time being, disabled) and avoid the system out of fear that they will be implemented later.
If this manages to work out in their favor, which is almost certainly not going to happen, it will be a miracle. Far more likely is that they are hoping to win back those customers who were fleeing toward the PS4 due entirely to the DRM issues but honestly prefer the XBox experience and crossing their fingers that by the time the consoles actually drop people have either largely forgotten (which is certainly possible) or, even better, that Sony screws something up even more (which is also certainly possible, Sony did think it was a good idea to deploy pirated rootkits). Expect them to walk on eggshells for the next few months, just to make sure they don't reignite the matter.
Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
"Yeah exactly. How could they not see this coming?? Another scenario of people creating a product that they don't use."
Despite some of the other replies, I definitely agree with "How could they not see it coming?"
I don't think it's a matter of a product they don't use. I think it's a lot more about just being completely disconnected from their actual customers. They really don't have a f*cking clue what people want, despite years of people screaming at them that they DON'T want DRM or "phoning home". When I say years, I mean like 15 years.
I think the only reasonable conclusion is that they literally don't listen to their customers. And that's Not A Good Thing.
For one thing, the retraction will never make as much news as the initial announcement. For another, there is enormous risk that, whatever they say, people will suspect that these schemes still exist (even if they are, for the time being, disabled) and avoid the system out of fear that they will be implemented later.
Frog... Boiling...
Wait until people become financially and emotionally invested in the XBone and then spring it on them. The system is already in place, it just needs to be activated. Because people are too emotionally attached to their favourite console and dont understand the fallacy of sunk costs they'll keep spending money on it.
You have to admire Microsoft for this in a diabolical kind of way.
1. Generate huge amounts of publicity with a bad idea(TM).
2. Claim to revoke bad idea(TM) and generate even more publicity.
3. People buy product.
4. Bring back bad idea(TM), muhahahahahahahaha, fools.
5. Fail to make a profit for years as the product is sold as a loss leader.
It's almost Bond level of villainry. Bravo Microsoft.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
Uhhh it'll be a flop anyhow not because of the DRM, but because they are releasing a console with shittier specs than the other guy for $500 in a down economy. I'm sorry but that is fucking RETARDED, and if the reports are true that a LOT of that extra cost is forcing everyone to take the fucking Kinect, which NOBODY liked the God damned Kinect so you have saddled your console with a higher price tag to push shit your customers never liked? Well i'm sorry but you deserve to lose for being stupid.
Hell the Kinect is so damned bad the fans of Angry Joe keeping voting for Kinect games for him to play just because they know they'll be fucking awful and love to see Joe flip his shit trying to fight the damned Kinect. If you haven't seen Joe play Steel Battalion you really need to watch, he just fights and struggles against the kinect until he is just a ball of pissed off fury.
Mark my words Kinect will go down like the NES glove or the Sega bazooka in the "man that was stupid" pile, but not until MSFT keeps flogging the dead horse long past anyone caring, like how they cranked out Zunes long after people gave a shit.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.